The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-23
WALKING ON WATER.
The Promenade an Inventive French
man Took on the Schuylkill.
From, the PHILADELPHIA Press.

From the PHILADELPHIA Press
Alphonse King, of France, took a prone
made upon the Schuylkill river, just below
Girard avenue bridge, yesterday afternoon,
standing upon shoes built to represent big
gold fish. He walked halfway across the
stream, and was compelled to abandon the
boots, because the baggage smashers who
handled them on their way to this city had
made them leaky, and they would have
sunk if the walker had not climbed out of
them into boat.
Mr.. King is genius who for some years
has studied the art of walking upon the
water. He has patented pair of boots
that seem to fulfil his requirements. They
are made of tin, 81 inches long, deep and
8 wide each. The tin is fashioned into the
shape of goldfish and painted to represent
that animal At the bottom are a series of
little Stats like those on Venetian blinds.
When the boots are propelled forward they
offer no resistance to the water, because
they close up, but on the backward stroke
they open and give leverage power like
that of oars. In this respect the King syS-
tenn seems 10 be ahead of anything else. 1t
enables man to stroll on the waters sur
face at the rate of about two miles an hour
GOING LIKE A SKATER.
The water walker is a young son of Gaul,
SLIM tall and adorned with black nous
tache and a nervous temperament. He
came down to the river escorting wagon.
in which were his various machines A few
Park guards, a juvenile base ball club that
had been playing on the river shore and
some wandering visitors from the Zoo
gathered to see the exhibition. King got
into the shoes, which weigh eight pounds
each, on the shore, and pushed out into the
water. followed by bOatful of newspaper
men, rowed by Press reporter The
walker was dressed in black clothes, silk hat
and Prince Albert coat. inst before he set
out his pretty wife bnttoned on to his ankles
pair of rubber CATERS to keep him dry.
The walker got along we'll on the river,
proceeding with SORT of a gliding motion,
something like that used by a skater
The Press boat followed him, padding
easily, and when the exhibitor got half way
across he was compelled to get into the boat,
because the boots were nearly full of water.
Then Mr.. King gave another exhibition
with his marine bicycle. This is a machine
consisting of two tin cylinders like those
used on life RATS Between them is built an
apparatus like that of an ordinary bicycle
only that paddles are attached to the wheel
Above the saddle is handle, which works g
rudder placed behind the seat With this
machine Mr.. King went along so fast that
the Press boat could no more than keep UP
with him.
This remarkable gentleman, who is called
mortal Marvel" once walked 800 feet on
the Niagara river for wager. During the
feat he turned upside down, and was res
cued with difficulty. He has taken strolls
on New York Bay, the Mississippi at Baton
Rouge, the Ohio at Cincinnati, Lake Supe-
rior, Rome City Lake, Dell Lake, San Fran
| cisco to Oakland, the Rhine, Seine, Thames
and Mediterranean. On all of these he has
| found the walking good. In one of his cir
| culars he holds forth the hope that Cam
| danites will one day cross the Delaware
without reference to the ferries.
| Robert Barclay, of the New York Stock
Exchange, has bet King 81 900 that he can,
not walk from Bedloe's Island, on which the
Statue of Liberty stands gesticulating, to
Brooklyn anchorage of the East river
bridge. The distance is three and quarter
miles, and the wager will be walked off
within a month.